He Writes Fiction Bestsellers. He Always Builds His Stories Around History. Why?

Brian Johnson is a student at George Mason University and an HNN intern.

From
a discussion between President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II to
American invasion plans of Canada created during the Second World
War, author Steve Berry’s
newest book,
The 14th Colony, covers
an incredible distance of history in a thrilling narrative.

We
wanted to know why he always includes history in his works of
fiction, so we asked him.

How
long have you been writing historical thrillers and where did your
passion for history start?

My
first novel, The
Amber Room,
was published in 2003. There have been 14 since, all with action,
history, secrets and conspiracies. I like to take something from the
past, something real, something a bit obscure, and fashion a modern
day thriller around it, keeping things about 90% accurate to history.

What
inspired you to write The
14th Colony?
Was there any historical research that struck you as particularly
interesting or pertinent to the world today?

The
inspiration came from something that happened on June 7, 1982. Safe
inside the Vatican behind closed doors, for the first time in history
a pope and a president met alone. To this day no one knows what they
talked about for 50 minutes. No agenda existed, no recording was
made, no notes taken. Historians are convinced that a deal was made,
a tacit agreement of cooperation, both men having survived an
assassin’s bullet, both men sharing a common goal: the end of
communism. Whether that indeed happened we will never know. What we
do know is that over the next six years Ronald Reagan and John Paul
II, working independently of one another, brought the Soviet Union to
its knees. And from that was born The
14th
Colony.

You
say your inspiration for this story came from the discussion between
the Pope and President Reagan. But the story covers an incredible
distance of history, as well as parts of lesser known history like
the plans to invade Canada. How were you able to weave this narrative
together using such a wide variety of historical facts? Were you
always interested in covering the topic of the United States' plans
to invade Canada?

I
like to have divergent points from history in every novel. This one
offered a merger of the Cold War, the War of 1812, and the possible
invasion of Canada during the 1930s (which is real). My niche
in the international suspense genre is to take these differing
aspects and form them into a coherent story. As for the invasion of
Canada, I came across that in the research for another book a few
years ago and realized immediately it would make for good thriller.
I think the reader will be surprised by America’s obsession
with its neighbor to the north.

It’s
interesting you found the information on Canada while working on
another piece. As a writer it’s amazing how useful research can be
even when it does not immediately apply to what we are working on. Is
there any advice you would tell other writers?

Never
write what you know. Bad advice. Instead, write what you love. I was
a trial lawyer for 30 years. I knew that subject well. But
I loved action, history, secrets, and conspiracies, so that’s what
I wrote.

What
are some areas of history you would like to write about in the
future? Are there any topics you are currently researching?

There
are lots of areas that interest me, which I plan to explore.
Unfortunately, I have to keep those to myself so no one else will
beat me to them.

Historic
preservation is the focus of your philanthropic group History
Matters. What historic sites does your group help to preserve?

There
have been a variety of things we’ve helped, all across the country.
Here are a few examples: the P.T. Barnum Museum in Bridgeport,
Connecticut; the Lincoln Log Cabin in Charleston, Illinois; historic
cemeteries in Raleigh, North Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, and Jekyll
Island, Georgia; the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut;
museums in Seattle, Washington and Pleasanton, California; historic
buildings in Beaufort, South Carolina and Berryville, Arkansas; and
the rare book collection for the Library of Virginia and the
Smithsonian Libraries. You can check out a full list on my website,
steveberry.org under History
Matters.

Why
do you think historical preservation is especially important in the
modern world?

Historic
preservation establishes roots and community pride. It teaches,
inspires, makes our cities and towns more attractive, and encourages
travel and tourism. It literally creates assets perfect for economic
development. Saving our history is not only important, it’s smart.
Like John Steinbeck wrote, How
will we know it’s us without our past?

How
can people get involved in preserving historic sites with your group?

Any
community out there that has something that may need preserving can
contact us through my website
and we’ll see if we can help out.

Historic
preservation is the focus of your philanthropic group History
Matters. What historic sites does your group help to preserve?

There
have been a variety of things we’ve helped, all across the country.
Here are a few examples: the P.T. Barnum Museum in Bridgeport,
Connecticut; the Lincoln Log Cabin in Charleston, Illinois; historic
cemeteries in Raleigh, North Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, and Jekyll
Island, Georgia; the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut;
museums in Seattle, Washington and Pleasanton, California; historic
buildings in Beaufort, South Carolina and Berryville, Arkansas; and
the rare book collection for the Library of Virginia and the
Smithsonian Libraries. You can check out a full list on my website,
steveberry.org under History
Matters.

Why
do you think historical preservation is especially important in the
modern world?

Historic
preservation establishes roots and community pride. It teaches,
inspires, makes our cities and towns more attractive, and encourages
travel and tourism. It literally creates assets perfect for economic
development. Saving our history is not only important, it’s smart.
Like John Steinbeck wrote, How
will we know it’s us without our past?

How
can people get involved in preserving historic sites with your group?

Any
community out there that has something that may need preserving can
contact us through my website
and we’ll see if we can help out.